Contact lenses can be colored or tinted to provide a variety of effects to the appearance of the eye. This can be done to correct a problem with the appearance of the eye or for cosmetic purposes. Such contact lenses can be used to enhance a particular aspect of one's appearance or even one's overall appearance. The invention is directed to contact lenses that perform these functions through a shadow effect.
It is desirable to retain the cosmetic lenses of the invention in a particular position on the eye, keep the lenses within a range of positions on eye, or return the lens to a particular position or range of positions after movement of the lens. This maintenance of the on-eye orientation of a lens typically is accomplished by altering the mechanical characteristics of the lens. Prism stabilization including decentering of the lens' front surface relative to the back surface, thickening of the inferior lens periphery, forming depressions or elevations on the lens' surface, and truncating the lens edge are examples of stabilization approaches. Additionally, dynamic stabilization has been used in which the lens is stabilized by the use of thin zones, or areas in which the thickness of the lens' periphery is reduced. Typically, the thin zones are located at two regions that are symmetric about either the vertical or horizontal axis of the lens from the vantage point of its on-eye placement.